The Spectrum
by lovelovelove22
Summary: Bella has always supported her daughter as a single mother. But she soon learns that things can change in the blink of an eye. *Rated M for mature content and deals with sensitive subjects.
1. Chapter 1

**Ah! So I'm back from vacation and so many story ideas have been running through my head…and this is one of them. It may be a little controversial, though. It deals with social issues in children, plus dabbles with autism. Updates may be sporadic, but remember that I will never abandon the story! So…be sure to read and tell me what you think!**

**The other idea I have in my head won't be out for a while, at least I think not, but I'm really into the story line. It's about Edward and Bella after they break their engagement and try and continue with their lives. And like all my stories, it is all human and alternate universe. Put me on author alert so you get the email for when that story is posted. It will be called 'No Regrets'. (I used to have a story called that, but this story is different with a similar idea behind it.)**

------

Bella Swan-

Maria was five years old when I decided that something had to be different about her. Unlike the other girls in her kindergarten class, she refused to make eye contact. When something upset or scared her, it was like she couldn't put her thoughts into words, so she just screamed. I'm one of the only people she'll talk to or touch- because she's scared. At first, I blamed myself. It had to be because of something I had done.

Maybe if I hadn't left her father back in Washington, Maria would be playing happily on the beach in La Push right now instead of sitting in a physiatrist's office. Maybe if I hadn't put her into preschool early, or maybe if I had simply been more careful. But I hadn't. Jasper, my ex boyfriend and Maria's father, and I are no longer together, and when we broke up I ran off with Maria to live in Florida. He sends money every single month, because he's too cowardly to get on a plane and see his daughter, and I'm too cowardly to get on a plane and see _him._

I didn't know what was wrong, or if anything was wrong at all. So I took Maria to a shrink, and had to hold my baby in my arms as she sobbed when the unfamiliar woman asked her question after question. After five weeks of weekly appointments and observations, Dr. Gerandy determined that Maria had problems with social skills and anxiety. That was why she wouldn't talk to her classmates, why she clammed up when strangers approached her. Social skills come naturally to most people. When someone looks at their watch and shuffles around, you can assume that they want out of the conversation. People like you and I can pick up on signals and sarcasm and humor, but people like my daughter cannot. For Maria, everything is literal.

And because of that, she's not _normal_, apparently. But I hate when people say that. She's different…but isn't everyone?

-----

Usually, by the time I arrive to pick Maria up from her social skills tutoring, she's waiting outside for me, sitting on a bench and reading a book. But today, I'm half an hour early, by some miracle. So I got out of my car and walked into the building, asking the secretary where I could find Maria Swan-Whitlock. She directed me towards the library, and I hesitated in the doorway of the room, peeking in.

Maria was sitting crosslegged on the floor near the wall of glass, with car magazines spread out in front of her. Sitting on the floor next to her is, I assume, her tutor. Although Maria has been coming here after school for a year, I have not met her tutor in person. Maria has told me plenty about Edward Cullen, but I had no idea that he was so young. The man sitting next to my daughter had to be in his early thirties at the latest. The last tutor Maria had was a private one, and had been over fifty years old.

I observed them for a moment, curious. Maria usually refused to talk to people or to even communicate with them. But she and Edward were talking animatedly, and reading the magazine. Although I am a complete girly-girl, Maria finds comfort in car restoration. It's like one of her vices. I let several minutes pass, and then stepped into the room. "Hey, baby." I said softly, and Maria's head shot up. When our eyes met, she abandoned her magazine and bolted over to my side, flinging her arms around me. "How was your day?" I asked, leaning over to kiss the top of my daughter's head.

"Hi, mommy. School was good…but your early. Is something wrong?" Worry instantly took over Maria's delicate features, and I shook my head quickly.

"No, nothing's wrong, I promise. I just got off of work early and came to pick you up right away." I explained, and it wasn't until then that I noticed that Edward Cullen had stood up as well and was hanging back several steps. "Oh, I'm sorry." I apologized, stepping forward and extending my hand. "It's nice to meet you finally Mr. Cullen, I'm Maria's mother, Bella."

Edward nodded, and shook my hand. "Hello, Mrs. Whitlock. It's nice to meet you too." He said formally, and I stiffened slightly at the mention of my ex's last name.

"Miss Swan." I corrected, and Edward nodded. "But, please, call me Bella."

"Bella, then. You can call me Edward." He said, and I could not pull my eyes away from his. They were an intense shade of emerald green, and they sparkled in the light. But he looked away from me and turned to Maria. "Mar, why don't you go back to that magazine? I would like to talk with your mom." Maria looked suspicious, but she reluctantly did as Edward suggested. "Why don't you sit down?" Edward gestured to a table and chairs, and we sat down.

I bit my lip nervously as we sat. "Is Maria doing okay?" I asked. "She's not causing problems or anything, is she? Because she really is a good girl, Edward, sometimes she just gets scared and nervous and she-" I rambled on and on, and Edward just stared at me with a confused, crooked smile on his face.

"Nothing is wrong, Bella. I just wanted to talk. I've been tutoring Maria for a year now, and I really think it's time that we sat down and talked one on one." Edward explained gently. I nodded, and let him continue. "Maria is highly intelligent." Edward said, and I couldn't help but smile proudly. "But…I've also noticed some other things. Maria…I think that she might have something more than social problems and anxiety going on. I see some OCD in her, and when you add up that with her paranoia and anxiety and fixation with something, like cars, and her social skills…" Edward trailed off for a moment, and I froze, wondering what he could possibly say. "Bella, the physiatrist and I agree that Maria could be autistic."

------

**Well…I know that first chapter was a short one, but it's just a starter. Do you like it? Interested at all? Let me know. I'll try and update soon, but I also have made it my mission to update my story 'Chemicals' again before I update the next chapter to this story. Again, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay, I got this chapter out much earlier than I expected. I am so glad that you are interested in this story, because I know that the topic can be controversial. Please, if you see a mistake, just let me know and I will fix it. I'm getting my information purely from internet research, so honestly your opinion and knowledge really does help.**

**And yes, this story is Edward/Bella, and they will be getting together in the story, just not right this second.**

------

Bella Swan, Three Months Later-

I didn't know that I could love my daughter anymore than I already did. But when she was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, I loved her more fiercely than ever. I snapped into action, trying to ensure that my daughter wasn't missing out on anything, and ensuring that her life was as happy as possible. At first, I had no idea what to do. I sat at my computer, and desperately typed 'Asperger Syndrome' into the search engine. I got almost four million hits. I tried to weed through the information, but I really had no idea what I was reading. So, in a fit of tears, I called Edward.

He had been so sweet and kind, telling me the things that I needed to know. It also helped that he had made a special bond with Maria. Her teacher at school was nice to her, but didn't understand. Edward _connected _with her, and helped in more ways than one. Edward helped me set up a gluten-free diet for Maria, because that really seemed to make her behave better. He was helping even more than before with her social skills, and didn't mind reading car magazine after car magazine and listening to her endless knowledge on cars.

One of the hardest parts was trying to cope with _routines_. Before, I never understood why it upset Maria so much when plans change. Now, I know that it's a part of AS. When I told her that she would be leaving school early for a doctor's appointment, she had nearly lost it, not understanding why the routine was being broken. Eventually, I had started crying as well, because I had no idea what was wrong. Desperate yet again, I had called Edward and he had showed up at our house and held Maria until she stopped screaming. Now, I have to tell her at least a week in advance to prepare her for simple changes or events. But I didn't mind, because it made things so much easier on her.

"How are we doing today?" I glanced up from my chair in the Learning Center's library, smiling when I saw Edward walking towards Maria and I. Maria had a Social Skills lesson today, and I had taken to coming with her so that I could better understand things as well. Because honestly, I was lost when it came to all of this, and I was doing my best to find my way.

"Hi, Edward." Maria said, looking up from her book, 'Classic Car Restoration'. "Did you know that a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa can sell for over $12.4 million?" She blurted out, and Edward laughed, taking his seat between Maria and I.

"No, Mar, I didn't." He said honestly, and I smiled at his nickname for her. Maria won't let anyone else call her 'Mar', not even me. It's a name that she has specially reserved for Edward to call her by. "But I do have a surprise for you." He said, and I saw Maria's face drop slightly. She hates surprises. "But it won't happen for a couple of weeks, okay?" Edward added, and Maria's face slowly began to relax again. "My friend Rosalie really likes cars, almost as much as you do. And you know what? She said that in two weeks, I can bring you to her car shop and she'll let you look around."

Maria's mouth dropped open. Even though her routine would be disturbed, this situation was different. It wasn't for an appointment or doctor's visit, it was to look at _cars_, something that she had a total fixation on. "Really?" She asked, and Edward nodded. "Will I have to miss Social Skills?" Maria added, sounding slightly worried.

Edward glanced at me, and I shrugged my shoulders. A lot of times, Edward expected me to know what he should say to Maria. But in all honestly, I had no idea how to handle things. I was just now getting all of this through my mind. "Well, yes, but your mom and I will be coming there with you. If you want, we can work on your Social Skills in the car on the way there." Edward suggested, and that calmed Maria down. "Why don't you go and read your book some more so that I can talk to your mom?" Edward said, and Maria walked off happily, book in hand.

He waited until she was seated by the window, and then he turned to me. "How are you holding up?" he asked me, and I took a deep breath.

"Okay, I guess." I said softly. "Things haven't really changed, but now that I know what's going on…it's just harder for me. I keep thinking about how difficult things could be for us in the future." I explained, and Edward nodded.

"Don't worry, Bella. I'm always here, okay?" He said softly, and I looked up at him, meeting Edward's eyes. His eyes were beautiful, mesmerizing even. They were a shocking shade of emerald green with flecks of yellow towards the center.

I finally nodded, smiling at him. "I know. Thank you." I murmured, and then I looked back towards my daughter. "Maria is going to Washington for the summer." I said softly, crossing my arms over my chest. Edward glanced at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"Her father lives there." I said, not taking my eyes off of Maria. We don't have a formal custody agreement, but she always goes to see Jasper every other summer." I explained, and Edward shifted uneasily. "He doesn't know." I added softly. Edward cleared his throat, and I looked back towards him. "He sends money every month, and he's called before, but not since the diagnosis. He lives in Forks, Washington…my hometown. He got married last year."

"Do you really think she'll be okay?" Edward asked, looking over at Maria now. "In a strange place, without you and me there…" He trailed off, and I wiped at my eyes.

Edward didn't understand the complexity of it all. "Jasper and I have managed to remain friendly for the past five years." I said softly. "If I deny him this, he won't hesitate to drag my ass to court. And he has a lot more money than I do. I won't be able to manage without his child support checks."

"Why did you leave?" Edward asked me, a complete change of topic.

"Maria was two years old." I said, looking down at my hands instead of at Edward. "Jasper was never home. He was controlling and strict and I felt like I was trapped in my own home. I left, and Jasper just never came after me. Eventually, he went to my dad and got my phone number and address, but I haven't seen him since."

Edward nodded, and then gently touched one of my hands. "I'm sure Maria will be fine. She's strong and smart, and it may be a hard adjustment, but I know that you can get her through this."

"How can you have so much faith in me?" I asked, my voice a whisper. Edward sighed, and then curled his index finger under my chin and jerked up gently so that I was looking him the eye again.

"Bella, I just do."

-----

**Please review!**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi. It's been a little while, hmm? Sorry about that…I don't really have any viable excuses so let's just get this show on the road. You know, after I yammer on about some stuff. **

'**No Regrets', my other new story, is still going strong with eleven chapters. My story 'Alone' only has an epilogue left, and 'Chemicals' has just a handful of chapters left. Hopefully when those two are down, I'll be able to put more focus on this story. Let's keep our fingers crossed for that one, shall we? Anyway, I need to say again that I am **_**not**_** an autism/Aspergers expert. I am doing research, but feel free to tell me if I need to adjust something to make it more accurate.**

**And one last thing…I'm expecting a baby on May 26, so there is a good chance the next update won't be up for a while. I want to try and update before the baby is born, but I really can't make any promises other than to **_**try**_**.**

**......**

Bella Swan-

This isn't something that I should have to be nervous about. Children socialize with each other every single day- playing, running, laughing, talking. But for Maria, it has to be different. The first thing I noticed, as I watched from a nearby bench, was her body language. We had come to the park plenty of times before, but Maria had always kept to herself. But now, with some urging from Edward, Maria is supposed to be interacting with the other children instead of shying away from them.

Unlike the other children there, Maria's fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her shoulders her hunched, and she looked terribly worried. It took everything I had not to run to her and offer comfort. I was, after all, her mother. I was supposed to be able to help her, but in situations like these, I just couldn't. If I stepped in for her or let her keep to herself, it would be even worse later on. I knew her condition was permanent, and I didn't want her suffering any more than necessary when she was older.

Edward had come with us. I don't know why he was always so sweet and helpful, but he was. Whenever I was overwhelmed and had no idea of what to do, Edward would calm me down and make things better. It might have been wrong for me to rely on him, but I honestly didn't know what else I could do. Despite doing a lot of research both online and at the library, I was still totally at a loss. I was scared, and I didn't know how to best care for my daughter anymore. Ever since I left Jasper, I've been completely independent and confident. I could take care of Maria on my own. I didn't need a man in my life. But ever since Maria's diagnose, that is no longer true. Without Edward, I would probably lose my mind.

"She's not doing anything." I whispered, and Edward patted my knee gently.

"Just give her a little time, Bella." He said reassuringly, his green eyes fixed on Maria. "It's important not to push her with things like this. But hey, how was she this morning before we met up?" He asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.

Every day for the past week and a half, Edward and I told Maria that she would be going to Washington this summer. And every morning since we started telling her, she was not in a good. "She was okay…a little nervous. Not just about this, but about Washington too." I explained.

Edward nodded understandingly. "You still have time for her to adjust to the idea." He reminded me. "And you'll be going with her to Washington, so that will really be a big help." He then looked down at his hands, smiling sheepishly. "I'll miss you guys, though." He added softly, and I felt a twinge in my stomach for some reason.

"So will we." I said easily, because it was true. Although Maria usually hated strangers and refused to trust them, she and Edward had become very close. "I'm a little worried about Washington." I said, watching Maria carefully as she continued to stand on the edge of the playground, not moving. "Maria…she's so unpredictable sometimes. Her life is all about routine and when things get interrupted…" I trailed off, thinking back to the tantrum Maria had thrown last week when I hadn't found the time to take her to the library like we always did. It had been awful, the worst tantrum she had ever thrown. "I don't want Jasper to think I'm a bad mother." I finally said, my voice a mere whisper.

"He won't." Edward murmured. "He _can't_, Bella. It's impossible…the way you are with Maria is heartwarmingly sweet."

I shook my head. "I can't take care of her like I should be able to." I said in a whisper. "I can't make her feel normal. I can't make things easier for her, because I don't even know I would go about it-" I stopped speaking suddenly when I saw Maria walking stiffly over to a group of girls playing on the swings. Edward and I watched her walk over to the three girls, her hands still clenched tightly at her sides. Obviously, we couldn't hear what was being said, but it _looked _okay.

And then, it wasn't.

One of the girls said something to Maria, and then all three of them got up and walked away. I stared for a moment, not at those bratty little girls, but at my daughter. Her shoulders were slumped and her hands were shoved in her pockets. Then, very slowly, Maria turned around and walked back over to us.

"It's okay." Edward said softly, taking one of her hands in his and squeezing gently. "What happened?" 

Maria shrugged, her bottom lip quivering as she looked down at her feet. "Those girls are in my class…but they don't like cars." She said softly, and I closed my eyes for a moment, biting my lip.

"Baby, some people just like different things." I explained. "You shouldn't talk to people about things that only you are interested in." I murmured, running one of my hands through Maria's tousled hair. "Some people like cars, some people like dolls, some people like…other stuff." I said weakly, and then I didn't know what else I could say. I didn't know how to make her understand.

Edward touched her shoulder gently, smiling. "Mar, a lot of girls are silly and don't like cars. They're not cool, like you are." He said, and Maria didn't say anything. I looked at Edward, discouraged, but he shook his hand and tapped his head like he had some kind of brilliant idea.

……

Two Weeks Later-

"When do I get to find out the surprise?" Maria asked, taking a bite of her cereal. Every morning for breakfast, Maria ate a bowl of cereal, an apple, and drank a glass of orange juice. It was our first routine of the day.

"This afternoon." I said, loading my own breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and then checking the time on the microwave. Since our little disaster at the park, Edward has been planning some sort of surprise for Maria. We've been telling her about it, even though it will be a surprise to me too. Edward wanted to keep it that way, apparently. We were meeting him at some mysterious address at noon.

Maria nodded, playing with her spoon. "Will Edward be there?" She asked curiously, and I nodded.

"Yes, he will." I promised her. "Remember? We've been talking about this for two weeks." I reminded her. "And don't forget, over the summer you and I will be going to Washington…to see your dad." I said, and like always, Maria said nothing. "I know you haven't seen him in a long time, and I know it's scary to think about…but your dad loves you." I said softly. "He wants to see you."

And that was true. I knew that Jasper loved Maria, despite our estrangement. After all, Jasper continued to send me that check, every month.

……

**We'll find out the surprise in the next chapter. Just to let you know, while Maria is a main character, the majority of the focus for this story will be on Edward and Bella. Maria is still important, but the development between Edward and Bella is more of a priority. **

**Also, , a reader, brought up 'House Rules' by Jodi Picoult. I had to buy it after she mentioned it was similar to this story…I finished it and it's **_**amazing**_**. I loved it. The story is about a single mother, much like Bella in this story, raising a son with Asperger Syndrome, but it's more about a crime that the boy is arrested for. While this story won't have any crime in it, I found a lot of information about Autism and AS.**

**Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie**


	4. Author's Note

**Hi, everyone. So this isn't Mellie, it's her friend Keely. At 12:54 am central time, Mellie gave birth to a **_**beautiful**_** little girl after going into labor yesterday after (about ten days early). Mother and daughter are both doing great, and Mellie just wanted to let everyone know that everything is good and that she hopes to update again soon. Also, thank you for all the kind wishes throughout her entire pregnancy, I know that it meant a lot to her and Jensen. Like I said, the baby is a girl and weighed in at six pounds three ounces and is named Blakely Olivia Anderson. **

**Again, thanks for all the kind words and support. **

**Mellie says that she wants to try and update this weekend, but obviously she might not be able to. I'll probably type it up for her, and she says the next one she wants to update is either 'Commander in Chief' or 'Eye of the Beholder'. **

**Xoxo- Mellie, Jensen, Blakely and Keely.**


End file.
